The Secret Daughter
by LovexXxRainbow
Summary: Dorinda Westrum witnessed her mother's death at the age of five. After spending six long years in an orphanage she receives a mysterious letter which leads her onto a journey into the magical world to find the father she never met.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I posted this chapter a little while ago, but I had to take it back down because I was having difficulty after uploading the wrong document. If anyone read it, they got a little preview of the next chapter because I stupidly forgot to separate the documents. So I am sorry about that.  
><strong>

**Anyway, you know how it goes, I don't own Harry Potter. **

**Chapter One- The Beginning.**

Dorinda Lucetta Westrum sat happily in the middle of the living room playing with her toys. She was hosting a tea party for several of her dolls and teddy bears. Her mother sat behind her in an armchair keeping a watchful eye over her. Every so often she would smile to herself as Dorinda provided the voices for her toys.

"Would you like some more cake, Mr Snugglesworth?" she asked the teddy bear sat to her right before answering herself in a deeper, gruff voice. "Why yes, that would be lovely"

Dorinda's mother watched as the little girl served each toy a slice of invisible cake and sipped from a plastic tea cup. As the girl was asking one of the dolls if she wanted jam and cream with her scone, there came an urgent knock at the door.

Dorinda looked up from her game, surprised by the sudden noise. "Mummy will be back in a minute," her mother informed her before leaving the room.

The little girl heard the sound of the front door unlock and her mother's voice "Can I help you?"

Her inquisitive nature getting the better of her, Dorinda carefully laid down her dolls and tiptoed over to the door way. Spying through the crack in the door, she could see her mother, arms folded protectively across her chest, but she could not see the stranger.

"I do not know anyone of that name," Dorinda's mother was saying. "I think you should leave"

Dorinda watched as her mother made to close the front door, but before she could even grab the handle, the stranger had hold of her arm.

"Tell me what you know about the Potter boy," the stranger hissed in a cold voice.

"I have already told you, I know no one of that name," the panic was now obvious in the young woman's voice.

"Then you are of no use to me," the stranger said, before pointing at her and hissing some unfamiliar words. Dorinda appeared from her hiding place in time to see her mother's corpse it the ground.

"Mummy?" she shouted, running over to her. She did not answer.

Dorinda looked around for the stranger, but he was no longer there. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air. She knelt back down beside the lifeless woman, pleading with her to wake up. "Mummy, please wake up mummy," she sobbed.

After several minutes, she stopped pleading and placed her mother's arms around her. Tears were still silently flowing down her cheeks as she fell to sleep in her dead mother's arms.

Dorinda had been young when her mother had died, but she still remembered it clearly. It had been several days before anyone had found her and brought her to this ghastly place. They told her that her story of the stranger that had killed her mother was not true and that she had died of accidental and tragic causes. What this meant, Dorinda did not know, but after many years of being told she was wrong, she learnt to keep her story to herself.

She had lived in the orphanage for six years now and she hated it. The staff attempted to care, but they never seemed to quite understand her. The other children either picked on her or stayed away, claiming she was a 'freak'. Dorinda had to agree with them; she was a freak. Strange things would happen around her when she was angry or upset. Things that she could not understand and it would quite often scare the other children.

She had just barricaded herself into her sparsely decorated bedroom after a particularly nasty bout of teasing. The twins had been dancing around her, calling her names like 'freak' and 'weirdo' and the one that stung most 'witch'. One of them had pulled on her pigtails so hard that a chunk of chocolate brown hair had come away in her fist. At this point, Dorinda's tears had spilled free of her icy grey eyes and she had pushed the girls away before running back to her room.

She lay on the bed, crying into the pillow. She wished that the summer holidays were over where she could escape from the other children and their mocking voices in the lessons. The wish was quickly followed by another one which she knew would never happen. She wished that her father would come looking for her and take her away from here. She had never met him and questions always went unanswered when her mother was alive. The orphanage files had no information on him as she had found out one night when she had been snooping. As far as she knew, he didn't know she even existed. Regardless of this, she wished he would come looking for her. Anyone had to be better than living in this place.

After a short while a gentle yet insistent tapping made her sit up. "Go away," she said, expecting it to be one of the staff members, or worse one of the other children back to torment her. The tapping however carried on. She sighed and got up. It was then however, that she realised that the tapping was not the sound of a person's fist on wood, but rather something knocking on the window.

She turned towards the glass, bracing herself for whatever was going to be outside. To her surprise, an owl was hovering outside of the window, tapping on the glass with its talons. Tied to one of its legs was a letter.

Dorinda opened the window and immediately the owl hopped inside hooting softly at her. She stood still, unsure of what to do. The owl hopped closer to her. It was holding its leg out. She gingerly stroked the head of the owl a couple of times before taking the letter from its leg. As soon as she had taken the letter from it, it jumped up and took off out of the window.

"Well, that was strange," Dorinda muttered to herself as she turned the envelope over. It was addressed to her. Wondering where the strange letter had come from, she delicately opened it and pulled out the thick parchment from inside.

It had to be a joke. One of the other children had to be winding her up. The letter told her that she had been accepted into some school for witchcraft and wizardry. After reading the letter in its entirety, she let it drop onto her bedside table. Well, she was not going to fall for some horrible practical joke. She decided to bury the parchment deep inside her drawer. She would not mention it to anyone, that way whoever was responsible would not be able to get a kick out of knowing that she had felt a tiny glimmer of hope.

She sat back down on her bed and was about to pull out a book to read when the bell tinkled signalling that dinner was ready. Slowly, Dorinda removed the items she had used to block the door and went downstairs and into the dining room. She was careful all the way through her dinner and the rest of the evening not to let anything slip about the letter. If there was some chance that it was not a cruel hoax, it was even more reason for the other children to view her as a freak.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- A strange meeting.

The next morning, Dorinda was awoken by someone knocking on her door. Opening it, she saw Mrs Parsons, the owner of the orphanage.

"There is someone here to see you, Miss Westrum," the Mrs Parsons said

Dorinda was puzzled; nobody ever came to visit her. All of a sudden a wave of excitement washed over her as she realised that it may be her father here to meet her at last.

"They are waiting in my office," she old woman told her.

With that, Dorinda took off down the corridor and down the stairs, not bothering to change out of her night gown or even to put her slippers on. She came to a stop in front of the office door, wondering what her father looked like. Did she take after him? Was he here to finally take her away? She took a deep breath and opened the door. Immediately, her face fell. Sat in the chair was an old woman that was definitely not her father.

"Who are you?" Dorinda asked the woman, suddenly feeling very angry at her. This was the wrong person. She was not supposed to be here.

"I am Professor McGonagall," the old woman said. Her voice sounded stern. "I am here to explain to you about the letter that you received yesterday afternoon,"

Dorinda's jaw dropped. How could this old Professor What's-her-name know about the letter? She hadn't told a soul. Dorinda kept her eyes fixed on the Professor as she sat down on a hard, plastic chair.

"How do you know about that?" she finally managed to ask.

"Because, Miss Westrum, I am the one that sent it. Even though you have been brought up in the non-magical world, it has been detected that you are in fact a witch. You are therefore invited to join Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry," the woman explained.

Dorinda's head was reeling. "You mean this isn't a prank? I am actually magical?"

"I can assure you Miss Westrum that this is not a prank. I know this must be very daunting for you,"

Suddenly a thought occurred to Dorinda. Perhaps this woman knew who her father was. Perhaps her father was a mighty wizard, busy doing all sorts of exciting and magical things. That must be it.

"Were my parents magical?" Dorinda asked, feeling a little nervous. This could be the answer to all of her questions.

"I am afraid I do not know," Professor McGonagall sighed. "It is entirely possible that you have inherited your powers from your father. However, it is also possible for two non-magical folk to produce a magical offspring,"

"Oh," Dorinda felt instantly deflated. Within the space of a few seconds she felt that she had found everything, only to have it snatched from her again. "Thank you for your help," she added, trying to disguise the tears that were threatening to spill at any moment.

"Do you have any other questions?" Professor McGonagall asked. Her stern face had softened slightly, though she still looked a little scary in Dorinda's opinion.

There were so many questions whirling around Dorinda's head, she did not know which one to ask first. Finally she decided on "Will I get a magic wand?"

"You will. In fact, that is one of the reasons why I am here. It has already been cleared by the staff here, that if you wish I shall take you shopping for your school supplies this afternoon,"

Dorinda managed a small smile, "I think I would like that," she said, wondering where on earth would sell the supplies that she would need.

Dorinda gasped in awe as she looked around at all the brightly coloured shops surrounding her. Odd people dressed in robes and tall hats jostled each other as they attempted to reach their destination. Everybody seemed jolly. Every so often people would tip their hats and offer greetings to Professor McGonagall. Dorinda decided that she must have been quite respected in the wizarding world.

"It's so beautiful," she whispered to herself as they strode down the street. She tried to take in everything as she passed; it was all so wonderful. There was so much of it though, that she found she kept missing things or having to spin around to get a better look at something.

Professor McGonagall took Dorinda to a huge and impressive marble building. Yet again, Dorinda found herself gasping in awe.

"This is Gringotts, the Wizard bank," the old woman told her, "because of your circumstances a vault has been opened in your name in order to provide you with a small amount of money to see you through your school career,"

Dorinda felt speechless. At the orphanage money was tight so the children did not get any spending money and were only treated to the essentials when they were needed. She managed to utter a thank you to the Professor, feeling slightly emotional.

As they went to get some money, Professor McGonagall explained about wizarding currency and the exchange rates. She also introduced Dorinda to the staff of Gringotts; strange looking little people that were apparently Goblins. Again, Dorinda was gobsmacked. She had only just got her head around the existence of magic, let alone these mythical creatures. Several times she pinches herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

The rest of the trip went much the same way with Professor McGonagall explaining about dozens of new concepts and each time, Dorinda was completely taken aback. It was a wonderful day, she had decided. Dorinda used the funds she had been given to purchase everything on the list of equipment that she would need. She decided to spend some of the left over money on some second hand books when she figured out that she did not have enough money for a pet. She had been keeping her eye on a little fluffy kitten she had seen in the window of one of the shops, hoping to have a companion to take to school with her. She was upset when she realised that she would not be able to afford the bundle of fluff, but consoled herself saying she would make plenty of new human friends at school. That is what she hoped anyway.

The last stop of the day was Ollivanders to get Dorinda's wand. This she was both excited and nervous about. This truly signified that she was part of the magical world. For her, after she had gotten a wand, there would be no turning back.

The old man behind the counter traded small talk with Professor McGonagall before turning his attention to Dorinda. She was surprised to see that he had a tape measure that seemed to have a mind of its own. It floated about her person taking measurements. Again, she had to remind herself that this was real.

"Westrum, eh?" Ollivander asked upon hearing her name, "I do not recognise that surname, are you muggle-born?" he added in a tone that Dorinda wasn't sure she liked.

"I am not sure, sir," she answered as politely as possible, "I never knew my dad,"

"Ah, such a shame," the man muttered as he passed her a wand. "Try this,"

She took the wand in her hand and gave it a wave. Nothing happened.

"Hmmm, not to worry," he said, pulling out another wand.

The process repeated itself over half a dozen times and Dorinda was starting to panic.

"Perhaps there's been a mistake, perhaps I'm not a witch after all," she said.

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth to speak when all of a sudden several brightly coloured sparks emitted from the end of the wand that Dorinda had just taken from the shop keeper. "I think, Miss Westrum, that display proves otherwise," she said, a thin smile appearing on her lips.

After Dorinda paid for her wand and said good-bye to Mr Ollivander, it was time to go back to the orphanage for the rest of the summer. Dorinda pouted for a while, asking the stern, but friendly Professor if she could enrol in Hogwarts early. She did not fancy going back to that bleak and unfriendly place after such a magical day.

"I am afraid you cannot, Miss Westrum," Professor McGonagall said on their way back. "I shall see you on the first of September like all the other students,"

After pestering for a while longer, Dorinda gave in. It was not that long to wait she told herself. She decided instead she would read through all her new school books to keep her mind occupied and out of the way of the other children.

"Thank you for a wonderful day, Professor," Dorinda said after being dropped off at the orphanage. She beamed at the Professor before running straight up into her room so none of the other children could quiz her about where she had been.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Dorinda sat alone on the Hogwarts express. She had walked casually around King's Cross Station until she had spotted a group of oddly dressed people, not unlike the people that had populated Diagon Alley. She had watched as an oddly familiar boy had approached the family. He wore round spectacles and had untidy black hair. She found him to be strangely intriguing, though did not know why she found him so.

As she watched, the group stopped talking and one by one, ran directly at the wall in between platforms nine and ten. Dorinda blinked and rubbed her eyes, not quite daring to believe what she had just seen, as each person had just vanished. She quickly shrugged it off, realising that it must be some form of magic.

And so she had ran directly at the fall, half expecting a collision, but instead had found herself on a crowded platform. The families around her made her feel uncomfortable and if she was honest with herself, slightly jealous so she headed straight towards the scarlet steam engine that was waiting by the platform, thinking that at least she would be able to get a good seat.

She was starting to feel nervous by this point. What would she talk about if people wanted to sit with her? She panicked; the only things she knew about the wizarding world is what she had been told a few days ago. What if they thought she was weird or simple for not knowing what they meant? Even worse, a thought nagged at the back of her mind. What if no one even wanted to sit with her? She supposed she would be used to that, after having no friends at the orphanage, but for some reason the thought bothered her more than it had before. Perhaps it was because back at the orphanage, deep down, she had known that she was different. If she was rejected here, she would have been rejected by her own kind.

Several minutes passed as she worried to herself. People walk past her compartment, glancing in but wondering off upon noticing that it was occupied. The panic was building up. She decided she was destined not to fit in, no matter where she went.

She was contemplating reading one of her text books shortly after the train had pulled away from the platform. As she started rummaging in her bag, however, the door slid open.

"Do you mind if we sit here?" asked a pale boy with a pointed face. He did not wait for her to answer before sitting down gracefully opposite her. On either side, he was flanked by two much larger boys, both of which carried vague, dazed expressions.

"My name is Draco Malfoy, and this is Crabbe and Goyle," he said, gesturing to his bodyguards. There was a small smirk on his lips. Dorinda found herself taking a dislike to the boy. She noticed that he seemed to be intently studying her. She pretended that she hadn't though.

After a minute, he spoke again, "Who are you?"

"I am Dorinda Westrum," she answered, extending her hand for him to shake. He did not take it.

"I do not recognise that name," he said in a tone that made him sound like he felt himself her superior. "Are your parents wizards?"

"I do not know," Dorinda said, trying to remain calm. "I was raised in an orphanage. I do not know my parents,"

"Oh," The boy said, though he did not apologize. He did not even seem concerned that he may have hurt her feelings. Instead, he turned to his cronies and started a monologue on how he felt it unfair that he was not allowed his own broom this year.

Dorinda spent the rest of the journey buried inside her potions book. She found it fascinating. As a child, she had always mixed 'potions' using various ingredients found in the kitchen, bathroom and the garden of the orphanage. They never amounted to anything, apart from smelling positively foul. She did her best to block out Draco's voice, which was starting to get on her nerves and was glad for an excuse to leave when the boys decided it was time to change into their school uniforms.

She ventured into the train toilet to get herself changed. She slipped on the robes that she had bought from Diagon Alley. It had been a hassle to get any to fit her because of her small stature. In the end, she had settled for a set that she would hopefully grow in to. Though she thought that might be a miracle; she had always been short for her age.

There was a small mirror over hanging the sink. She looked at her reflection, taking everything in. Her liquid silver eyes betrayed how nervous she was. Taking a deep breath, she plastered a fake smile over her petite features in an attempt to come across as confident.

She stepped out of the toilet compartment and went in search for some friendly looking people that might let her sit with them for the rest of the journey. She did not fancy going back to Draco and his cronies.

As she wondered down the train, she noticed most of the compartments were already full. It seemed even the other first years had all established friendship groups already. She had about to give in when the door next to her opened.

"Hey, are you alright?" an older girl asked.

Dorninda was taken aback, but nodded her head slowly.

"You look lost," the girl stated.

"I can't find anyone to sit with," admitted Dorinda, looking at her shoes.

"That's ok, you can sit with us," the girl said, motioning to the inside of the compartment. It was inhabited purely by older students.

"Thank you," Dorinda said, shuffling her way in and sitting in the old available seat. She was sat next to a boy with ginger hair. She thought he might have been one of the people that she followed on the platform. Next to him was another boy that looked like an exact copy of the first boy.

The rest of the compartment was taken up by another boy and besides the girl that invited her inside, two more girls.

"What's your name?" one of the twins asked.

"I am Dorinda Westrum," she replied with a small smile. "Don't bother asking about my parentage because I don't know,"

"I wasn't going to ask you," the boy said, "I'm Fred by the way. And this is my brother George," the other twin gave her a wink and a wave.

The other's all introduced themselves as Lee Jordan, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet and the girl that invited her in was Angelina Johnson.

"It is nice to meet you all," Dorinda said. "I am sorry I snapped. It seems so far as soon as I mention my name people ask if I'm muggle born,"

"Some people are like that," Katie said, pulling a face.

"We find it best not to associate with them too much," Lee added.

"Plus, it doesn't matter if your parents were magical or not. It doesn't make you any better or any worse," Angelina said.

Dorinda nodded. "Thank you. I was beginning to think it was frowned up on if you came from a muggle family,"

"Most people won't care," Fred reassured her.

"And the people that do care don't matter," George told her.

Dorinda smiled warmly back at the group. They had made her feel much less nervous. It also surprised her greatly that they hadn't asked why she didn't know her parentage. To these people, it did not matter where she came from, but rather who she was. The appreciated that greatly.

The group continued chatting for the rest of the train ride. She found out that most of them were third years. They had seemed much bigger than that at first, but then she reflected it must have been because she herself was so small in comparison. She also learned that they were all Gryffindors. That was one of the houses of Hogwarts; there were three others, all of which had different traits assigned to them.

"I don't know where I'll fit in," Dorinda admitted.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Angelina grinned at her.

"I guess we will," Dorinda agreed.

The train started to slow down at this point. The group scrabbled to find their hand luggage.

"We'll see you in the great hall," Fred beamed at Dorinda

"Am I not coming with you?" she asked, feeling as if she was being ditched.

"First years make their journey to the castle in a special way," George told her.

"Oh. See you later then,"

They all hopped off the train. The Gryffindors headed off down the platform and once again Dorinda was left on her own.

Over the tops of everyone's heads, she could make out the silhouette of a gigantic man carrying a lantern. He was shouting something. She strained to hear him calling: "Firs' years, this way!"

Again, the nerves were building up inside of her. This man looked positively terrifying. He was huge with a big knotted beard. She forced her legs towards him anyway, noticing the crowd gathering around him.

Once it seemed that all the first years had made it to the man, he introduced himself as 'Hagrid'. He then took them down to the side of a lake. They would be rowing across, four to a boat. She panicked slightly, realising she had no one to ride with, but it worked out as she managed to team up with a group of three that couldn't find a fourth.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Once across the lake, the first years gathered in a small room, awaiting for the sorting ceremony. Dorinda was pleased to see Professor McGonagall make an appearance again, though some of the others shrank back at the sight of her.

When the time came, the doors opened and the first year students filed into the Great Hall. Ahead of them was an old ragged hat sat upon a three legged stool. Professor McGonagall briefly explained that she would should each student's name and when shouted they should place the hat on their head in order to be sorted.

The sorting started and Dorinda groaned as she realised it was taking place in alphabetical order, which meant that she was going to be one of the last to be sorted. She watched nervously as a steady stream of students made their way to the stool and then to the table of the house in which the hat placed them.

Dorinda noticed that Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy were all placed in Slytherin. She wasn't sure what she felt about the house as after all, Fred and George had said it doesn't really matter where you end up.

She was jerked out of her thoughts when she heard the name "Potter, Harry," shouted. The name sounded familiar, though she did not know why. There was whispering from all of the older students. The old man at the front of the hall held his hand up and there was instant quiet. Dorinda assumed he was the headmaster.

The familiar looking boy that Dorinda had seen on the platform stepped forward. He looked as nervous as she felt. She could not understand why she thought that he was so familiar. Perhaps she had known him from childhood, before her mother had died. Though, from the way that people whispered upon hearing his name, she wondered if he was in some way famous. She resolved to ask someone later.

The boy, Harry, was taking a long time to be sorted. He seemed to be muttering to himself, although Dorinda could not here what he was saying. After what seemed forever, the brim of the hat opened up and it shouted "Gryffindor!" The boy looked relieved as he was greeted with an uproar from the Gryffindor table. She glanced over to see the group she had been sharing the compartment with. Some of them were on their feet as they were cheering.

After a minute or two, the hall quietened down and the sorting resumed as normal. With each name, the knot in Dorinda's stomach was tightening. This waiting was torture. Why did she have to do this in front of everyone? What if the hat decided that she didn't belong anywhere? What if she just sat there for ages, until someone decided that she clearly was not going to be sorted?

Finally, her name was called. She made her way to the stool, carefully making sure that she did not trip over her own feet. She was sure something was going to embarrass her. Her hands were trembling as she pulled the hat over her ears.

A small voice whispered into her ear, "Dorinda Westrum, where to put you?" she looked around in an attempt to see where the voice was coming from, but realised that the hat had fallen down over her eyes. It was then that she realised, it was actually the hat talking to her.

"Hmm, there's a bit of each of the houses in you," it told her. "Quite intelligent I see, not a coward either. There's loyalty there, that's for sure. Yes, but I think the thirst to get what you want is strong,"

Dorinda found herself holding her breath, hoping that it would make a decision soon. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the hall on her as the seconds turned into minutes.

After a little more debate with itself, the hat stopped whispering and shouted "Slytherin!" loud enough for the whole hall to hear.

For a second, Dorinda didn't move. That was the last house she was expecting. Her hands shaking even more than before, she took of the hat. The Slytherin table were clapping and cheering for her. She glanced over to the spot where Fred and George were sat and found that they were both avoiding eye contact with her. With a sigh, she made her way over to the Slytherins.

After the remaining handful of people had been sorted, the headmaster stood up and introduced himself as Professor Dumbledore and said a few words. The empty plates in front of them suddenly filled with some of the most delicious looking food that Dorinda had ever seen. Following everybody else's lead, she started helping herself, piling her plate high with roast potatoes.

The conversation buzzed around her and she found herself listening in to the other first years. It seemed most of them already knew each other.

"I don't recognise you," a girl said, suddenly turning to Dorinda.

She hastily swallowed in an attempt to talk, "Dorinda Westrum, pleased to meet you," she said holding her hand out.

The girl shook it briefly. "Pansy Parkinson, my daddy owns a chain of businesses all over the world," she said, smugly.

Dorinda smiled, "That's very impressive,"

"What does your daddy do?" Pansy asked.

Dorinda's face fell. "Oh, I, er-" she was cut off as Draco Malfoy spoke up from across the table.

"Westrum here doesn't know her father. Personally, I think she's a mudblood,"

Some of the other first years snickered. Pansy's face stayed perfectly straight. "Is it true?" she asked.

"I don't know what that word means," she confessed, yet again feeling as if she did not fit in.

"It must be true then," Pansy said, before turning away to talk to someone else.

Feeling confused and hurt, Dorinda turned back to her plate but she suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore. It seemed as if she was destined not to fit in anywhere.

Once it seemed that everyone had finished eating, the food on the plates melted away. Professor Dumbledore stood up and gave a speech highlighting some of the school rules. The ones about forbidden areas, such as the forest and the third floor corridor made Dorinda feel curious. Why would a school be so dangerous?

At the end of the speech the sound of benches scraping made Dorinda aware of everyone standing up.

"First years, follow me to the Slytherin dormitories," spoke a tall boy in a bored tone. He was wearing a badge on his robes labelling him as a prefect.

Dorinda made her way over to the boy. As she stood, she felt a hand on her arm.

"It's ok, you know," said a girl that was a little taller than Dorinda.

"What?"

"It's ok if you are a Muggleborn," the girl said in a hushed tone. "I'm only a half blood. A lot of us are, some just don't like to admit it,"

"Why don't they admit it?" Dorinda asked. She did not understand what was so bad about being brought up by muggles.

"Some wizards, especially those associated with the house of Slytherin frown upon it. My mother told me, as long as I come across as confident, I would be fine. You should be too. You just have to prove yourself,"

"Thank you, I'm Dorinda by the way," Dorinda whispered. They had started walking along now behind the Slytherin prefect.

"Nice to meet you Dorinda, I'm Tracey Davis,"

A/N I'd just like to thank everyone that has read and reviewed or subscribed in some way, I really appreciate it. So thank you. Also, I am going to be away for a week and then I will be starting back at university. I'm hoping that it doesn't slow down my update speed, and it shouldn't, but I just thought I'd mention it just in case I don't get chance to upload as often.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five.

The Slytherin prefect lead the first years to the common room, which Dorinda was surprised to find out was in the dungeons. It was very grandly decorated in dark greens and silvers, the colours of Slytherin house.

On one wall there was a stone fire place giving some heat to the chilly room. All along another wall were huge windows looking out into the depths of the lake they had rowed across earlier in the evening.

Dorinda was very impressed by the grandness of it all, though she had to admit it was also a little intimidating.

The prefect cleared his throat. "Boy's dormitories are down the corridor on the right, girl's can be found on the left," he told them, "breakfast in the morning will be served at eight o'clock where you will receive your timetables. Any questions?"

Nobody spoke and he dismissed them.

The first year's dormitory was at the very end of the narrow corridor. Inside, it was just as grandly decorated as the common room. There were five huge beds, each with a dark green duvet and silver trimmings. Each bed and surrounding area, it seemed already contained each girl's belongings. They each made their way to their appointed beds in silence.

"It's beautiful," Dorinda whispered, running her hand over the bed sheet and examining the bedside table.

Tracey smiled at her warmly. Pansy on the other hand gave her a cold look and said, "Anything would be beautiful compared to the muggle monstrosities you grew up with,"

The two other girls in the room laughed. Dorinda had yet to learn their names, though she had a feeling that they would not become friends any time soon. The three of them began gossiping. The chatter was loud enough for Dorinda to hear, though she did not understand all of what they were talking about. Tracey would sometimes add her own comments to the conversation, but Dorinda busied herself with unpacking her trunk and finding a proper place for everything. Her bed was the one closest to the door, tucked in the corner.

Next to her bed was Tracey's bed. She was glad about that. At least she was next to someone that seemed friendly enough. Next to Tracey's bed, in the next corner was one of the girls that had giggled with Pansy. She had a thin frame and short brown hair styled into a bob. She held herself with grace and importance. It seemed so far she had barely spoken, though a small teasing smile seemed to remain on her lips at all times.

Pansy's bed was next on the wall opposite. She had already decorated her bedside table with an ornate jewellery box and a small amount of make-up. Alongside them were what looked like family portraits; an older looking couple with a young Pansy between them.

The final bed was opposite Dorinda's. Its occupant was a large girl with a round face. She had jet black hair and in comparison to the other unnamed girl, did not look very happy. The corners of her mouth were slightly downturned. It seemed she had a nervous habit of fidgeting with her hands when she spoke to the other girls. On the bed beside the girl, Dorinda noticed a bundle of fur curled up and purring gently. She seemed to be the only girl in the dormitory to have brought a pet.

"I think we should all get to know each other properly," Pansy suddenly announced, causing Dorinda to pay attention. "If we're sharing this room for seven years, we should at least know each other's names," there was a bossy tone to her voice that Dorinda did not like. However, she decided to play along.

Dorinda sat cross-legged on the edge of her bed, now facing the other girls. She remembered Tracey's advice to come across as confident and corrected her posture. She listened intently to the other girl's stories and learned that the large girl was called Millicent Bullstrode and the slim girl was Daphne Greengrass. Once Tracey had stopped talking, there was silence as each head swivelled to view Dorinda.

"Your turn," Pansy said in a sickly sweet voice, though her eyes were narrowed.

"My name is Dorinda Westrum," she said, wondering how many times she had said that exact phrase in the last twenty-four hours. "I was raised in a muggle orphanage because my mother died when I was five. I did not know my father, but I firmly believe he is a wizard. I intend to find him while I am here at Hogwarts,"

"We can help you find him," Tracey suggested, looking at the other girls for reassurance.

"Provided he is a wizard, of course," Daphne said.

Pansy did not look happy about the suggestion, but nodded her head. "If your father was a wizard, I'm willing to help you. Just to save you from those ghastly muggles,"

Dorinda smiled. She did have to admit, it was a much nicer place here than at the orphanage. Perhaps these people had a point about muggles not being as good as wizards.

"What was it like, growing up with muggles?" Millicent asked after a short while.

"Well, I don't really have anything else to compare it to," Dorinda said. "It wasn't very nice though. The other children teased me for being different. The adults were always very on edge around me, as if they thought I would blow up,"

"Did they know? About you being magical?" Tracey asked.

"I don't think so. Not until McGonagall came and explained anyway. There were many cases of accidental magic though, especially when the other children teased me. I think some of them thought I was possessed by a demon,"

"Muggles are so ignorant," Pansy declared, her arms folded against her chest.

Dorinda nodded her head in agreement. "I'm glad to finally be away from them," she confessed.

"I don't blame you. It must have been terrible," Pansy said. Her voice sounded much more sympathetic now. "Anyway, your father must be a wizard, otherwise there's no way you'd be in Slytherin,"

"Why's that?" Dorinda asked.

"Because we are the best. Mudbloods are simply a lower class of people, my daddy always says. They go to the more inferior houses,"

And there the conversation ended. Each girl changed into their nightwear and mumbled their goodnights as they got into bed.

It took a while before Dorinda finally drifted off to the sound of her roommate's gentle breathing. The bed was unimaginably comfortable compared to the hard mattress she was used to. The events of the day kept playing in her mind, feelings of the joy flooding through her upon realising that not only had she managed to make friends on the train, but she had managed to make the girls that had initially disliked her come around to her way of thinking. When she did fall asleep, there was a small satisfied smile gracing her lips.

XXXX

A man stood before her. His back was turned, but there was a strange familiarity about him. His dark, tangled hair was fluttering slightly in the breeze. Otherwise, he was unmoving.

An excitement built up in her stomach. She tried to reach out to him, but he was further away that she had realised. Her feet, she noticed, seemed to be rooted to the ground.

"Dad?" she called out, but her voice caught in her throat. If he had heard her, he showed no sign of it.

She tried to struggle forward, sure that the stranger was her father, but it felt as if she was trying to walk through treacle. She called out again. This time he slowly turned his head towards her. The excitement caused her stomach to do somersaults. She held her breath at the anticipation of finally seeing her father's face.

She made one more attempt to walk forward, this time putting in ad much effort as she could possibly manage. All of a sudden, her legs were freed of the heaviness that had been anchoring her and she fell forward.

Upon regaining her balance, she looked up at the man, only to find that he had gone.

Dorinda sat up in bed, remembering the details of the dream that had been plaguing her for years. This time she had been so close to seeing his face. She lay back down and buried her head into the soft pillows, tears silently rolling down her cheeks.

A/N: Wow! Again I'd like to thank everyone that has read this and given me feedback. It really means a lot to me. I've seen some people saying they have an idea about who Dorinda's father could be. My lips are sealed at the moment, though it will all be revealed in time. I'd love to hear some people's theories though if they want to post them in a review.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six.

Dorinda woke the following morning with a strange feeling. She could vaguely remember the dream and the thought of it upset her but she knew she had to be strong. She sat up on her bed and realised that she was the first awake. There was still an hour or two before they needed to get up in time for breakfast. Dorinda, however, decided to get up. Hopefully a nice long shower would make her feel better.

She padded across the room into the adjoining bathroom that she shared with the four other girls. Inside there were several toilet cubicles opposite a long mirror and some sinks. The walls and floor were decorated with pale green tiles, some of which had silver serpents painted up on them. Along another wall, there were five shower areas. She took the one farthest from the door and turned the heat up high.

Inside the cubicle there were a couple of deep green towels draped over an ornate silver towel rack. Next to the shower head there was a soap dish in the shape of a serpent coiled around itself and biting its tail. She looked up at the shower head and noticed that the steaming jet of water was actually spraying out from a large silver snakes head.

She spent a long time in the shower, carefully washing her long hair and letting the warm water hit her back. She found that it soothed her a great deal. Her mind wondered back to the dream, but now she felt much better. It was only a dream after all. The girls had said they would help her find her father and she believed them. She was not going to let her subconscious get to her by taunting her with an imaginary figure that may or may not be her father.

After her shower, Dorinda spent a long time brushing and drying her hair. She found herself wondering whether or not there were spells that would speed up the process. It would be awfully handy, she thought.

She left the bathroom to find the other girls starting to stir. "Good morning," she said, feeling a lot more cheerful than she had when she first woke up.

There were general murmurs back from the others. Pansy rolled over and groaned "No one is allowed to be that happy at this time in a morning," and pulled a pillow over her head. Dorinda smiled to herself and made a note that Pansy was obviously not the kind of person that enjoyed waking up.

She busied herself putting on her uniform: A short grey skirt, a white blouse and a green and silver tie all worn underneath a black pair of robes that were several sizes too big for her. She completed the outfit with a pair of sensible black shoes.

"I'm going to go down early for breakfast I think," she told the other girls. She would like a chance to try and explore the castle on her own before it got too crowded.

"Ok then Dorinda, we'll meet you down there," Tracey told her with a smile.

Dorinda smiled back and grabbed her satchel which contained her school books. It was heavy. Perhaps they'd learn a spell to make objects float or to make them appear much lighter than what they actually were. She sure hoped so.

She left the dormitory and passed through the common room. She hoped she could remember her way back to the Great Hall. The castle looked much different now that it was daylight. She looked around and headed down a corridor which looked slightly familiar.

It was only a few minutes later when she arrived in the Great Hall. The Slytherin common room was not too far away and she found herself remembering more than she thought she would have. Inside, it was nearly empty with only a few people at each table. Not even all of the teachers were present yet. She started heading towards the Slytherin table but stopped when she noticed the only people seated at it were the pale faced Malfoy and his two cronies Crabbe and Goyle. They were shovelling food into their mouths at an incredibly fast pace. It made her cringe a little.

Casting her eye around the room, she caught sight of the Gryffindor table. To the far end, the twins from the train were sat facing away from her. They were whispering and laughing about something. She approached them quietly and cleared her throat when she was behind them.

"Oh, hi," one of them said. She wasn't sure which one as they looked so similar, but she thought it might have been George. She made a mental note to attempt to notice the differences between them.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" she asked, slightly hesitantly.

The twin who she suspected to be Fred cast his eye warily around the room. "I suppose you can," his voice sounded slightly nervous; not at all as confident as he had done on the train the previous afternoon.

She slid into the seat opposite the pair, again feeling slightly nervous. She wondered why they were acting strangely, but those thoughts were soon gone when George turned to her and grinned. "So, Slytherin, eh?" he asked, his voice sounding amused.

"I guess so," Dorinda replied as she reached over for a slice of toast. She added large amounts of raspberry jam.

"I must say I am shocked," Fred said. "We thought you seemed nice,"

"I am nice!" Dorinda said indignantly, folding her arms across her chest. The twins both laughed.

"You must be the exception to the rule," George informed her.

She shook her head. "I think the other girls seem nice enough. They said they'd help me find my father,"

Fred smirked at her, though not in an unkind way. "I wonder why you're in Slytherin though,"

Dorinda shrugged.

"Maybe her dad was a Slytherin," George suggested.

Dorinda looked up from her toast. Maybe they were onto something. It did seem that whichever house you were in ran in families. A prime example being the twins and their brothers; each one had been placed in Gryffindor.

Fred laughed. "Maybe it was You-Know-Who,"

George shook his head and started laughing too.

"Who's You-Know-Who?" she asked, feeling left out of the joke.

"Only the biggest Slytherin that ever Slytherined," Fred supplied.

"Oh," Dorinda responded thought that didn't really explain anything to her. There was going to be a lot to learn about wizarding culture as well as just the spells.

"Well, our little snake," George started, "we ought to be going to class,"

Simultaneously, the twins stood and grabbed their bags calling "See you later," to her.

"Bye," she said quietly. She also stood up, realising that now she was alone on a house table that was not her own.

She made her way over to her own table which had steadily filled in the time she had been talking to the Weasley twins.


	7. Chapter 7

AN- Thanks again to everyone that has supported me in some way, by adding this story to favourites or by reviewing. It means a lot to me. I am sorry for any long gaps between updates the last few updates. I am writing when I can, but I have a lot of assignments at the moment.  
>Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.<p>

Chapter 7.

Shortly after arriving at the correct table, timetables for classes had been delivered and everyone had scuttled off to the places where they needed to be. For the first year Slytherins that was Transfiguration.

They all queued up outside the classroom, a quiet anticipation filling the air. Dorinda was pleased to see that she was not the only person who looked nervous. Even pure-blooded Draco Malfoy looked excited, though he was trying desperately not to show it to anyone else.

Upon inspection of the other students queuing, Dorinda realised that classes were to be shared with members of other houses. It seemed Transfiguration was to be shared with the Gryffindors.

After a few minutes of near silence, the door finally opened to reveal Professor McGonagall. Dorinda relaxed a little upon seeing her. She may look scary to the other first years, but Dorinda knew that she was anything but.

"You may come in," the professor said, motioning the students inside.

Dorinda slid into a desk on the left hand side of the second row. Pansy and Daphne sat directly behind her. She was a little upset to see that Tracey had opted to sit with Millicent on the desk next to her. She sighed to herself, but let it pass. This may be a good opportunity to make more friends.

Much to her dismay, a few moments later, Malfoy slid into the space beside her.

"Why were you talking to the Weasleys at breakfast?" he hissed in her ear.

She shrugged as she unpacked her bag, taking out a quill and some ink as well as her wand and a text book. "They're my friends, I guess," she said. "Though it's none of your business,"

He smirked at her. "You ought to be careful," he said. "Don't want to be associating with the wrong sort,"

She did not reply, instead focussing on organising her belongings on the desk in front of her.

"Any luck on finding your father yet?" he asked suddenly.

Dorinda shook her head.

"Oh, that's too bad. It would be an awful shame if you turned out to be Muggleborn," he chuckled slightly to himself.

The bushy haired girl that was sat alone in front of them must have heard. She whipped her head around and glared directly at the pale boy. This only caused him to laugh more. Dorinda attempted to smile at the girl, but she did not seem to notice her.

Malfoy opened his mouth to say something to the girl, but he was hushed by Professor McGonagall starting to take the register.

When she got half way down the list, she called out "Potter," Again, the familiar looking boy from the platform acknowledged the name. He looked down shyly as everyone turned to look at him.

Once the register was finished, Professor McGonagall set about explaining the subject that is Transfiguration. After the introduction, she let the class practise a few simple spells, though she stated that she did not expect anyone to be able to achieve them yet.

After a few minutes of practising, a low chatter broke out. Dorinda decided now was the right time to ask about the Potter boy. She turned to Malfoy. "Why does everyone keep staring at Harry Potter?"

"Because he's famous Westrum," Malfoy laughed.

"I know, but what for? I feel like I know him,"

Malfoy's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked her up and down. "He supposedly defeated You-Know-Who when he was a baby,"

"Who's You-Know-Who?" Dorinda asked, desperate to understand who the mysterious person was.

"The Dark Lord," Malfoy said without any other explanation.

"Fred and George said he might be my dad," she confessed.

Malfoy fixed his eyes on her for a moment. His pointed face was suddenly stern and serious looked. He held the glare for a few seconds before erupting with laughter. This caused a few of their classmates to turn and stare at them, including the bushy haired girl in front, who gave them both a dirty look.

"No way," Malfoy said after he had calmed down. "That's far too ridiculous,"

She shrugged. "It's the only suggestion I've had,"

They both lapsed into silence and started practising the wand movements and incantations again. After a little while, she became aware of someone staring at her. She looked up into the piercing grey eyes of Malfoy. It seemed he was scrutinising her.

"We have the same eyes," she said, all of a sudden full of realisation.

He looked slightly taken aback, but nodded. "I was just thinking you look exactly like my Aunt Bella. From pictures I've seen,"

A wave of excitement washed through her. Perhaps she had finally found her long lost family. "I've never met anyone else with eyes this colour," she whispered.

Malfoy smiled at her. Warmly this time. "I could write to my mother if you'd like,"

Dorinda smiled back and nodded. "I think I'd like that," she was shocked at how suddenly he had changed his attitude towards her. Of course, if they really were related that would mean she was not a muggle born. She would finally have an identity and somewhere to belong.

"I never met Aunt Bella," Malfoy told her on their way out of class. "But you have the same hair. And the same nose, I think,"

Dorinda paused. "But I knew my mother. I watched her die," Confusion and sadness welled up inside her. It had been too good to be true.

"I can ask about other family members," he ventured. "There are some I know I've never met. I sometimes hear mother and father arguing about mother's other sister. I think she was a blood traitor. They never told me about her. If that's true, there may be others I don't know about,"

"Will you get in trouble?"

"Only if my Father finds out,"

"I don't want you to get into trouble though," Dorinda confessed.

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He won't find out,"

Dorinda nodded her head. "Only if you're sure,"

"I'll write to her this evening," he said before peeling away to join Crabbe and Goyle once more.

"Thank you," she called after him. There was a warm sensation in her tummy. She felt happy and optimistic. She only hoped that their hunch was right. Or if it was not, that whatever information was returned may contain more clues for her to follow.

Tracey had been waiting for her halfway up the corridor. "What was all that about?" she asked. "Last night you hated each other,"

Dorinda smiled at her new friend. "He thinks we might be related,"

"That's great news!" Tracey whooped. "Though don't you think he's a bit of a creep?"

"Maybe. I don't think he's as bad as he want people to think," Dorinda confessed.

Tracey giggled and linked her arm with Dorinda's. "Did you manage to do any of the spells?" she asked changing the subject.

Dorinda shook her head and continued the conversation as they made their way to their next class.

After a bumpy start, she decided she was going to like life in the Wizarding world.


End file.
